After receiving dozens of compliments about this bag during our time attending the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie Genève last month, we decided to do a feature on it and tell you everything about it. At the end of the day, we know you come to WCL for the extensive watch content but also because of the good life and the occasional Paella recipe on our Instagram stories —no pun intended. As we travel the world in search for new luxury items to fall in love with, bags are one of our biggest weaknesses here at WCL and Smythson of Bond Street along with Faure Le Page are among the top of our list due to their exclusivity and understated look, very much like wearing a stainless steel Audemars Piguet Royal Oak ref. 15400ST with ruthenium toned dial.
We picked up this Smythson Greenwich Medium Holdall Bag on our way to the SIHH in Geneva as there’s nothing we enjoy more than showing up to our favorite watch event in the world with some distinctive luxury goods like a brand new bag, a new watch and a few new Hermès ties for the occasion.
For those of you not very familiar with Smythson, this brand is one of the leading names in the luxury leather goods industry around the world and an icon in the UK. Smythson of Bond Street was established in 1887 and is the proud holder of three Royal warrants, granted by Her Majesty The Queen in 1964, HRH The Prince of Wales in 1980, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother in 1987 and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh in 2002. While holding The Queen Mother's Warrant, Smythson was one of only eight companies in the world to hold all four warrants simultaneously. Royal Warrants are a mark of recognition given to companies or individuals that have supplied goods or services for at least five years to the households of the British Royal Family.
After owning many items from Smythson of Bond Street, we can attest that their quality, design and craftsmanship is simply amazing and even venture to say that the life of their items exceeds that of many Louis Vuitton leather goods of similar kind.
Handcrafted in the highest quality calf leather and a bespoke lacquered cotton with a semi-braided weave pattern—for the sides of the bag— that feels almost as if it had been rubberized but with a leathery feel to it, this nicely designed Smythson Greenwich holdall bag in medium size will hold everything you need for your travels, whether you’re going on an overnight trip to Miami or a long haul to Switzerland.
Fitted with a removable cotton jacquard shoulder strap, the bag can be carried using the leather top handles or the strap, depending on the amount of stuff you’ve put in it. Additionally, the Smythson Greenwich bag features a handy pocket on each side of the bag that allows for quick access to your passport and travel essentials, as well as a padded external padded pocket for your computer or tablet. The interior is also designed with cleverly considered pockets for easy packing and lined with a gorgeous striped cotton fabric. Even though Smythson is from London, the bag is made in Italy as you can see it on the leather tab inside the bag.
While the bag is mainly lined with cotton fabric, Smythson went above and beyond by also adding a suede interior to one of the zippered side pockets as well as a suede zippered pouch located in the main compartment of the bag opposite to two other interior pockets.
As far as carrying capacity, we can attest that this holdall from Smythson really holds all or as much as you can imagine. To be honest, without this bag, we don’t know what we would’ve done with the crazy amount of photo equipment we had with us plus the SIHH swag —mostly chocolates— and the last minute shopping we did at the Geneva and Frankfurt airports. Without a doubt, this bag holds way more than what it appears to be able to hold.
The bag is available in three sizes including small, medium and large. Our bag is the medium size measuring approximately W43 cm x H28 cm x D23cm —W17’ x H11” x D9". The bag comes with a removable leather luggage tag holder that can be personalized with silver or gold foil just as any other leather item at Smythson.
Sticker Price $1,995 USD. For more info on Smythson click here.
